Five

Chapter Five

NICOLETTE'S POV–

It was total darkness. Nothing but the void was visible to my sight. In the midst of blankness, slow yet large steps were detectable by my ear. It gave me goosebumps; my body seemed to be suppressed by God knew what. I could feel the tension rising as deep forest eyes suddenly appeared in front of me. Their eyes were glowing with faint smoke on the edges.

As it gradually got bigger, my chest felt like it was being pressed by some weight; it was giving me difficulty breathing. It felt kind of like something blocked my throat so that no matter how deeply I inhaled, I was still short of breath.

"Don't be afraid, Nicky. I am an ally," said the same deep husky voice. "I am Russo. Your wolf."

And with that, I launched out of bed, panting heavily as cold sweat dripped down to my shirt. What the hell was that? When would I have a peaceful sleep? This bullshit was eating up my sanity.

The second I stepped on the wooden floor, I collided miserably. My head was killing me as if every part of my skull had shattered inside, and my vision was a total mess—blurry, and everything around was spinning.

Just when I thought I was immortal after surviving that brutality, I was on the floor now, curled up because of this motherfucking torturous pain.

My shriek shook the whole house. My body was completely drenched in sweat—droplets of it were visible on the wooden floor—stuttering breaths, and this excruciating pain. All of these were literally killing me, as if my bones were smashed and my skin ripped off. For fucking heaven's sake, I was ruthlessly dying here and only God knew what the fucking hell was happening.

At the moment I thought the floor would be my grave, the smashed glass window of the room caught my ear. Shards scattered on the floor while small pieces caught my back.

Neither I was looking nor could my head be moved, yet my instincts could sense someone’s presence. His footsteps were light as they rustled on the floor; his presence was so soothing, almost as if a gravitational weight had lifted from the atmosphere. Everything seemed to be magically calming, like his aura had been acknowledged through the stillness of the house.

And as soon as my head was resting on his arms, the pain beyond words that almost killed me vanished in the blink of an eye. My eyes landed on his navy blue eyes that were extremely… mesmerizing.

For the past million years, I had never felt this kind of calmness—his warm skin touching mine was so delicate and gentle. I wanted to be next to him forever if it meant having a peaceful sleep, forgetting that he was some hot stranger who broke into my room.

Hardly noticeable smoke slowly embraced me, tender in a way that assured my safety. Did time just stop for us to have this kind of scenario? Oh, heavens, I knew I had been a terrible person, but please, let me have this moment, just this once.

“My mate,” I finally heard his low, thick voice; it was music to my ears and created butterflies in my stomach. “Those forest green eyes. Your wolf must be Russo.”

Russo? Who the hell was that? I was too stunned by the most captivating image I had ever seen to process the bullshit he said. Too dazzling for my eyes, but I enjoyed it anyway.

Something just stirred inside—a howl that was unusually different. It wasn't the same howl that I had heard in my nightmares. This time, it was soft and gentle, and it appeared to recognize the presence before me.

“Azure,” that voice again, yet this time it was almost a whisper.

“It's okay. It could literally kill at first, but you’ll be alright.” I was already falling for his comforting voice. There was something in his mysterious aura that made my spirit crave it.

His smooth and cozy thumb brushed a few strands of my hair behind my ear; every touch sent a jolt to my face. Blood ran to my cheeks, which left me stunned by how charming he was. Had I already lost it? He was so magnetizing and irresistible, I couldn't take my eyes off him.

The mood was too good to break, so I chose to remain silent. I couldn't afford to break such a comforting moment like this. It was all new to me.

My sight remained glued to his sparkling navy blue eyes. He had the baby face of a 10-year-old teen—smooth, dazzling, pointed nose and kissable lips, as if inviting anyone who stared at them to just suck it all up.

A soft smile lingered on his face, pulling me closer to his chest, wrapping his arms around me. “Nicolette Oliveros, right? I’m Kian McFadden, your mate.”

Every beat of his heart was a welcome sound, as if telling me that I had found my home—the missing piece of my life. He was so warm that I just wanted to freeze this moment.

I wanted to talk to him. I badly wanted to say something. Yet it appeared that my brain wouldn't think of anything, and my mouth wouldn't dare open. I just couldn't get enough of his warmth, his scent, his soft skin—all of him. I was crazily craving something beyond just a simple hug and comfort.

I was totally insane. He was a complete stranger and I was an idiotic red flag for wanting him. No clue at all, but all I knew was I couldn't afford to get separated from him.

“Your forest green eyes were slowly fading,” he said under his breath, his eyes remained glued to mine, not a single blink, “it seems that Russo has calmed down.” A corner of his lip lifted in a small smile.

It had been the second time I heard that, but who the hell was Russo? Could it be the same name I heard in my nightmares? Whoever he was, he was ruining the moment just by hearing his name.

“R-Russo?” My voice stuttered in curiosity; my brows knitted. Words came out unconsciously.

A soft chuckle flashed across his face. “Haven't met your wolf?”

Now that was weird. I never had a pet in my life, let alone a wolf. He must have mistaken me for someone else.

A perplexed smile crept onto my face. “What do you mean?”

His dimples showed as he cradled my hand, careful not to break the gaze. “Here, let me help you.”

I held onto his hand to stand, and strangely, I felt better. My body appeared lighter, my skin was smooth and dry—not a single bead of sweat was found—and my head wasn't killing me anymore.

I could feel his eyes wandering over my entire body; every part of me was thoroughly examined by his, giving me a hint of his concern until his dazzling navy blue eyes met my puzzled look. Apart from wondering what kind of devastatingly hot human being he was, I still couldn't comprehend why he broke into my room and how in hell he took away all the pain that had me crying on the floor.

It was crystal clear that it didn't concern him. However, here he was right now, giving me a compassionate gaze that sent electricity down my nerves, and a magical touch that wanted me to own him.

Closing the gap between us while I was still lost in my own thoughts, he cupped my face and I could feel my cheeks burning. “You feel better now?”

His warm breath touched my face, melting inside my delicate skin. “Yeah, I think so.” I briefly nodded with a small hesitant smile.

“Come, I’ll keep you warm,” his voice was so tempting, and I couldn't resist it.

His arms went to my waist; he wrapped them around me like he was preventing anyone from getting close to us. My body voluntarily collapsed on his chest, a weird reaction given that he was a complete stranger who might have had evil plans after he smoothly stole my trust. And on top of that, my eyelids were inviting me to rest close to him without my body protesting. This was hilariously ridiculous.

Wait a minute… What the hell was I thinking? Since when did I allow anyone to get close to me like this? Well, I was nuts for real, but I was okay with that. I would rather die in the hands of the most dangerously handsome stranger like him than be stoned to death by those idiotically insane people.

It was all good, I should say. It made me feel better—not until a loud bang, God knew where it came from, destroyed my moment and made me flinch in surprise. His hand went to the back of my head and lightly pressed it against his chest, maybe gesturing for me to bury my face.

I felt the atmosphere shift. Though I couldn't look at him in this position, I sensed that his sight flicked to the broken window.

Was that a gunshot just now?

Sharp claws were aggressively scratching inside my chest. It hurt my ribs but I couldn't feel any shed blood. I groaned almost a whisper, trying to hold back the pain or I would end up on the cold floor again.

I sensed his fingers lingering in my hair. “Easy, Russo,” his voice was calm and soft as always, like the possible gunshot we heard didn't bother him. “You shifter still need time to handle your strength.”

Okay, enough with this absurdly romantic first meeting. Questions were filing up in my head and it was driving me insane. The shifter, the wolf, the name Russo that only God knew who, this stranger, and the gunshot from wherever hell it came from—all of them didn't make sense at all.

Gently pulling away, I looked up only to see his mesmerizing eyes already staring at me. “First of all, I know nothing about you…” I paused, finding the courage to ask for answers. “I have a lot to ask, but I don't know where to start.”

His lips curved into a soft smile. “I have my life to answer all of it. But first,” he paused, his eyes turning outside to the broken glass window, “let's find out who's dead this time.”